Saturday, 30 September 2017

Island 396 - Conors or O'Connor's Island, Streedagh, County Sligo

Conors or O'Connor's Island is currently connected to the mainland of County Sligo at all stages of the tide by the two mile long Streedagh Strand. However as far as I can tell there is no solid land connecting them, just a narrow strip of sand dunes, which is apparently underlain by a shingle spit. The island is just under a mile long from north to south and about half a mile wide at its widest point.Conors Island is grazed by sheep and cows and is covered in grass. The whole island is low lying. Some of the grass is species rich machair, like that found in the Hebrides. Conors Island is part of the Streedagh Point Dunes Special Area of Conservation (SAC). I could see wild pansies, birds foot trefoil, yarrow and bedstraw in flower when I visited in early September. As I left Black Rock to head on to Conors Island a group of horse riders galloped up Streedagh Strand and disappeared onto Conors Island.